Shadow Of A Half Blood
by theheartsbeat
Summary: Lucy Sparrow just keeps running into trouble! It's bad enough she has to deal with school, homework, her mother's new husband, her over-protective father... oh, and what else? Having to deal with the fact that she's a half-vampire! Is she just a magnet for danger? Why does Jagger have such a craving for her? Will Claude ever accept that his dream girl just doesn't like him back?
1. Chapter 1

The Shadow Of A Half Blood

Chapter One

* * *

_My lips trembled as he pulled me closer, the closeness we shared making my heart race even faster. His eyes are hypnotic, his perfect lips balanced in crooked smile as he gazed over the pale skin my low-cut corset exposed. He runs his thin, ghostly fingers along my collarbone, tracing his fingertip on the blue vein that my neck so deviously bared to him._

_I wanted to throw myself away from him, just be rid of this bubbling feeling he caused, of the venom that pulsed and traveled in my blood._

_But I didn't. I couldn't._

_Leaning closer to him, I felt his index nail slide under the corset's scalloped lace collar, his cold touch sending shivers down my spine._

_I adored his touch... how it clawed its way deep inside of my bones, how it lingered on my skin._

_Electric currents worked and weaved its way through through our contact, such chemistry infusing and burning between us. I only wanted more from him, to feel completely and utterly his to own, to hold, and to devour._

_The meeting of our lips only sends more electricity sparking, with such ferocious and terrifying power, I almost pull back. _

_But I didn't. I couldn't._

_I want to feel the power he possessed course through my whole body, I wanted to be clutched by the supernova of grace and pleasure he wielded. _

_I wanted to be consumed. _

_In body and mind. _

_Forever..._

_With him..._

* * *

I awaken to the noise of my alarm clock, and without a single thought, I slam the snooze button with all of my might. My narrowed eyes peer from under the sheets, and with a groan, I sit up. Unblinking, I examine my room, the room I've taken up residence for one week now, and I let the smile that threatened surface.

I would like it here, in this hip town where grandparents still idled down the sidewalks in complete goth makeup, where grownups could still play video games and attend anime conventions and hold well-paying jobs, where you could dress up in a banana costume and not get weird looks... well, maybe not that, but where paradoxes, oxymorons, and outcasts like me could thrive.

This city was completely unlike the town I was raised in, my mother my only solace, where fine wine and first-class brandy was served at outdoor barbecues, and designer articles coated every inch of citizen's outer appearances. My mother accepted me for who I was well enough, but I couldn't rely on her while I attended school five days out of the week, bored out of my mind and ridiculed for being myself.

Me, the chick with the waist-length teal hair, and bright green eyes I inherited from my father, but with the soft, heart-shaped face of my grandmother. My nose was small and dainty, unaligned to the full pale lips I currently puckered in interest.

_Dad should still be up... that's the only reason I got out of bed so early... so he could see me before my first day of school. _

With a sigh, I slip my feet from the black comforter that laid in a heap on my bed, and curled my toes around the microplush rug that was black, of course. Most things in my room were black, my walls, my dressers, my doors; with few exceptions. I accented them with teal, my other favorite color, the tint found in my sheer curtains over my window, my carpet, and an armchair that stood next to the window.

I also had hung a huge, wrought-iron mirror by my closet door, the metal bent and curled to shape two twin dragons that held the empty mirror with impeccable grace and refinement. It was my most beloved thing in the whole world.

I pushed myself up from the mattress that was fitted with sky-blue sheets, groggily marching forward to my bedroom door. I grabbed my fluffy Nightmare Before Christmas bathrobe from the hook it hung on, and left my room, wandering down to the end of the hall where the bathroom was. I showered quickly, afterwards wrapped myself in my glorious bathrobe and blow-dried my hair, turning the curling iron on. I left to get dressed while it heated up, throwing on the outfit I picked out the night before.

I wore my favorite pair of pants, skinny jeans that were pale blue with chintz patterns printed on them. My shirt was considered fancy for school, but it was my first day, so I had to make a good impression, just in case some cool goths wanted to befriend me. It was black, high-collared and Lolita-like, with the upper half of the back missing and instead had lace, the front adorned with a row of rose-shaped buttons trailing down to the hem. My shoes were more edgier, ankle-high heels with black lace on it, with silver spikes protruding. I had a hard time picking out my earrings, but I stuck with my usual black tapers and silver roses that had chains hanging off of them.

After getting fully dressed, I rushed back to the bathroom, and immediately got to work on my untamed hair. I curled it nicely enough, and flipped my blunt bangs off to the side, giving them a curl too. I then pinned all of my hair to the side, my dyed locks pouring like a waterfall down my right shoulder.

My makeup was simple enough, my usual concealer and corpse white power, and dramatic wings on my top lid with liquid eyeliner. I then coated my fairly long eyelashes with ebony mascara. I left my lips unpainted, and settled for moisturizing chapstick.

When I was completely done, I ducked into my room quickly to grab my schoolbag that I had already decorated with iron-on patches of bands and pandas, along with pins of my favorite anime. Slinging it over my shoulder, I shut off the lights and closed the door to my own personal heaven.

Stumbling down the hallway was easy, seeing as all the electric lights were turned off, and only a few candelabras with candles omitting only so much light remained. The candle holders were scattered on randomly placed tables that dotted the huge hallway, a few doors placed here and there.

I was still new to this large mansion, the residence built and once occupied by the first mayor of this town, like, in 1867 or something. It was left to rot after the last owner moved thirty years ago, and I mean it was nearly _gone_ when my dad found it. But he fixed it up quite nicely. He went with an antique feel with all of the exterior, but you could see the modern touches that peppered the house. One thing that remained mostly untouched by time was the grand staircase, marble and gold leafing favoring the panels and railings of the ancient wood. I stopped at the very top step, glancing right that led into the library, then left and the massive oak door of father's study.

Gazing forward, you met the large window that had thick velvet curtains hanging on either side of it, awaiting to shroud the magnificent bay window when dawn came, which was eleven minutes from now, but now the outside was a thick black, the full moon still shedding off a faint glow.

As I start to snap out of my over-examining of the details of the house, I see coming up the stairs is our maid, Remedia, or Rem, as I called her, a thirty-something Irish woman who had deep-set dark eyes and a shock of brilliant red hair that was currently tied neatly in a bun. She has always traveled with my father and took care of him, keeping his homes nice and tidy. She favored me and treated me like a daughter whenever I had visited my father during the winter and summer breaks, and her sweet demeanor had not altered a bit since I've made this house my permanent abode.

She smiles as she passes me on the top step of the flight of stairs, her eyes twinkling.

"You're up, Lucy? So late?", she asks, and you can still hear traces of her homeland accent.

I quickly eye her French-styled outfit, a uniform a classic maid would wear. Typical for my father's tastes. I then smile and indicate to her basket of clothes she carries.

"You don't have to go into my room to leave my clothes. Set them by the door. And it's my first day to school, Rem. Remember?", I hastily explain, messing with the strap of my bag.

"How forgetful of me!", she exclaims, but then gives into a cheeky grin. "Your father is still eating dinner, if you wish to bid him good morning."

I answer with a nod and continue down the stairs, until I hear Rem call.

"Oh, Lucy," I turn and face her generously freckled face. "I wish you a great first day of school."

I throw her a genuine grin, and I give her a small wave. "Thanks, Rem."

Once I clear the rest of the stairs, I enter the foyer and head to the right and pass through the small drawing-room there, the north wall bleeding off into the breakfast room. An oval mahogany table was set there, the white table-cloth and china brought out before the one lone person who was now breakfasting - my father, Lucius Sparrow.

He was a well-built, with defined arms and thick chest, his legs fairly long and slightly disproportionate to the rest of his body. His hair was a light brown and quite long, touching his shoulder blades. It was always styled somehow, sometimes tied up when guests were over. His eyes were beautiful, a pale green like mine, but had much more definition, forest green and hints of aquamarine speckling them. Mine mimicked a slate mint color, nothing interesting.

Half moon spectacles rest around his neck on a shimmering silver chain, his clothing nothing short of his aristocratic tastes. His white button-up gleamed and his black slacks were ironed with an air of crispness, his black vest pinstriped with red. A scarlet cravat was tied around his neck, a brooch that formed a spider pinned to it.

His eyes glance over me and he smiles.

"Good morning, Lucy," he greets, only after he politely swallows his bite of steak.

I take the seat in front of him, sitting my bag on the floor beside me. The plush velvet seat was dyed a rich eggplant purple, the wood of the chair almost black.

"Good morning, father," I reply, gently crossing my legs and smoothing out the wrinkles of my shirt. It was wise to look your best in front of my father. He wasn't as uptight as he sounds, but he was mindful of manners and appearance.

After our small greeting, our cook, Marcellus, an older man with graying hair and icy blue eyes, entered the room, and stood at the head of the table.

"It's good to see you up, Miss Sparrow. I was wondering what the occasion was that you would skip your breakfast and lunch for."

I mindlessly play with a lock of hair as I answer, "It's my first day to school, Marcellus, I had to go to retire early to get enough sleep."

"My apologies, Miss Sparrow. That fact seemed to have slipped my mind," he says, a slight bow accompanying the words.

I wave it off. "It's fine! Don't worry about it."

Marcellus dips his head in a nod. "Thank you, Miss Sparrow. Now, what do you wish to have for dinn- I mean, breakfast?"

"Eggs and toast with a bit of plum jam with English Breakfast tea will be fine, thank you," My mouth watered from the thought of Rem's famous plum jam, the blood-red juice and the chewy, savory meat of the fruit. It was to die for.

"And how would you like your eggs?"

"Scrambled with a bit more pepper than usual."

"Lightly toasted, medium toasted, or heavily toasted?"

"Medium, please."

"How much honey in your tea?"

"None. Two sugar cubes."

_Gosh, he's thorough..._

Marcellus again nods and says, "It will be out shortly," before disappearing behind the french doors that separated this room from the kitchen.

I see father is still looking at me, and before I can utter anything, he clears his throat.

"Your mother called today," he states, his face almost blank of any expression.

"Oh... she did?", I reply.

"Yes. With the different time zones and everything she got thrown off by a few hours. She thought you were still awake."

I keep my sights steady on my dad, trying not to let any emotion leak from under my mask of coldness. "What did she say?"

"She told me that they have finally unpacked everything and are settling in nicely," he pauses here for a moment. "And again offered you-"

"Tell her no," I finish, turning my head away. Tears prick my eyes.

"I would prefer if you called and told her yourself, Lucy. This matter is between you and her alone. I cannot answer for you, she'll think I'm lying."

I shake my head, some of my bangs falling in my face. I swipe them away and cross my arms before retorting, "Surely not. She knows what she's done." I lower my voice as I whisper, "And I _know _she's not sorry for it."

"Come now, Lucy. She's your mother. I know you're mad at her now, but think about the future. Do you really want this to affect your relationship with her?", Dad consorts, his elbows resting on the table and his fingers interlaced with one another.

"It's not our relationship she's worried about, Dad. It's her and Jason's she's poring over. I mean, she _left me_ for three days at home without warning to get _hitched_! I didn't even cross her mind once."

Dad is quiet. "You don't know that, Lucy."

I force a laugh, but it comes out garbled and distorted like a hiccup. "It's pretty apparent," I snap.

He's silent for a while, and I feel the guilt wash over me. It wasn't his fault all this happened and I practically showed up to his house unannounced and proclaimed I was now living here just because of some argument with my mom. He didn't do anything wrong. God, I am such a bad daughter.

"Dad, I'm really sorry... you didn't deserve that," I sigh with an undertone of remorse. "I mean, I just move in and I'm sure that wasn't very cool of me, but you're okay with it, and I'm being a jerk, and I'm very, very sorry."

Dad smiles at my apology, his eye twinkling. "I know you're upset, but you can't keep this anger building up within you. A few unworthy people will end up getting lashed out at."

I nod, my eyes downcast. "I know, I know... but to be honest, Dad, it was a lot more than just marrying Jason without telling me. It was a lot of stuff."

Dad raises his hands to cut me off. "Again, between you and your mother." He lifts himself from his ornate chair and walks over to me. Softly, he plants a kiss on my forehead. "But after you confront her and work things out, you are welcome to stay here as long as you want. And between you and me," he says in a low voice, "Rem and Marcellus have been driving me crazy. It's nice they have someone else to fawn over."

I giggle and stand up as well. I wrap my arms around his neck and give him a peck on the cheek. "Thanks, dad."

He returns the hug and pats my teal curls. "You look pretty, by the way. Have a fun first day at school."

I roll my eyes as he departs. "I'll try."

Lightly, he taps my on the nose like he used to when I a child. "You better. Night, kiddo."

"Night, dad," I called as he walked out of the room. He didn't look back as he waved.

Sitting back down, Marcellus immediately enters with a large platter, a pile of steaming eggs and two pieces of toast slathered with blood-red jam, and a quaint cup of tea resting on it.

"Your meal, Miss Sparrow."

I clapped like a giddy child as he sat the food before me, and Marcellus retreated his hand in fear I might bite it instead of my breakfast. I dug in, ramming a fork-full of eggs into my mouth. I was famished.

"Will that be all for today, Miss Sparrow?"

Swallowing my bite of toast, I nod. "Yes, thank you, Marcellus."

He folds his hands behind him as he speaks. "Don't bother with the dishes when you are finished. I will collect them later. If that is all, I will now retire."

I pause and set down my cup of tea. "Sleep well, Marcellus."

"Thank you," he breathed, perhaps tired from the righteous meal he just prepared for me. He walked back toward the door but turned back before leaving. "Oh," he added, his frosty blue eyes looking alike to a Siberian husky's. "I would like to offer my high hopes that your first day in the systemized school education of this particular region... will be splendid."

I'm dumbfounded by his flurry of words, and I can only stammer, "U-uh... well, thank you, Mar-", before he slips past the door and into the kitchen, now completely gone.

_Well then..._

I take my time to finish my meal, savoring the sweetness of the plum jam and the smoothness of the tea. The eggs are perfection, the extra pepper making them utterly delicious.

Once I'm done and feel plenty full, I still have a bit of eggs left, although I have devoured the tea and jam-smothered toast, leaving not one trace of them.

I check my phone quickly, looking for the time.

7:36, it displays in bright red letters, oozing down the screen like blood. Yeah, I downloaded that font a few days ago. Sick, right?

_Hmm... School starts at... 8:00? _

It took only fifteen minutes to get there, I had some time.

_Wow. I've never been early or on time in my life! _

Now excited for the ride to my new school, I jump up the chair and before I leave, push it in. Father would never let me hear the end of it if I didn't.

_"Lucy, it's always polite to push in your chair after eating. Think about the others around you and the signals you communicate through your actions. When you push in your chair, you are communicating that you care about others and do not want them to trip through the cluttered walkways. If you don't, that send out that you could care less about their safety and-" _

_God, I can hear him now. _

I exit the breakfast room and drawing-room, positioning my bag on my shoulder as I did. As I entered the foyer, I glance above the grand front door composed of a dark red wood, at the enormous bay window. But it was shrouded with the black curtain, securely shut until night once again dominated the sky.

I grabbed my car keys from the small table that was positioned by the door that also held a huge vase that overflowed with tulips that favored a dusty pink color, white and those just shy of blood-red.

Walking out, I was greeted with first rays of the sun, and I quickly donned my favorite pair of sunglasses that had skulls and roses printed on them. I spotted my beautiful car in the driveway, the 1977 Mercedes-Benz 450SL that was painted a glossy black with bright purple skull decals near the rear tires. The interior was colored to match the color of the skull decals, the front and back seats a nice shade of violet.

My rear view mirror was cluttered with different things I had hung up with string, a few of my favorites the mini Domo plushie, a tiny silver harp charm on a silver chain, and a two-inch tall replica of the Master Sword from my most cherished video game franchises, the Legend of Zelda. Those games were so bad ass. Just sayin'.

I also loved this car because of the retractable roof, so I could easily let down the roof if I wanted to, which was often. I don't know, it was always my dream as a kid to own a convertible, so I was freakin' stoked when my dad sent me this on my sixteenth birthday. Yeah, I was a daddy's girl. So what?

I've always loved classic cars, and I had envied my dad's 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, which had a sweet white and black paint job and tan leather interior. Oh, I loved that car. But mine was epic too. Wouldn't trade it for the world.

Upon opening the door, I threw my bag into the passenger seat, and stuck my key into the ignition. With a jumpy start, the car purred to life and I gave a little test with the gas pedal. It answered with verve. This car was too awesome.

Before I backed up into the street, I pressed the power button on the radio, not bothering with any cassette tapes for now. But I had found this rockin' radio station that played a variety of rock music, from today's death metal to '80s classics when I drove here from Shitsville, USA, aka my hometown.

As soon as I turned it on, I See Star's song Endless Sky featuring the uber talented Danny Worsnop started to blare from my speakers, and I couldn't help but tap my fingers to the kickass beat as I pulled out of the driveway.

The street my father's house was built on was probably the most plain one in all of The City, all of the house's cookie-cutter replicas of their neighbors. My house was on the end of the street, a dark beacon in this vanilla neighborhood, the castle of mystery whilst the other houses stood vacant of any self-expression.

They were all a well-preserved white color, too bright and obnoxious for my eyes that tended to gravitate toward darker colors. The design was simple enough, I'm guessing a variance of seven or eight bedrooms, three bathrooms, a pretty large living room, and a kitchen. Most had garages, but others liked to show off their brand new Hummers or cherry red Porches in the cement driveway.

I proudly kept the roof of my car down, driving the legal speed limit and blasting my music. Some early risers and other kids on their way to school were outside, and I got stares, but mostly glares from the Lucille Ball Cult as children who looked on at my morbid car with slack jaws.

_Oh, big deal. With a city this hip, you're bound to see a few goths wander your way._

I kept driving, and luckily I had escaped that wretched street and a potential lynch mob.

The city wasn't far away, and it was only a matter of time on the highway that a few tall buildings greeted me, chain restaurants and outlet malls scattered here and there. The traffic was pretty heavy, the three stoplights between my house and the school taking at least three minutes to change.

But what got me in my good mood for the morning was seeing all the black-clad city folk, a few of their eyes glued to my car. I got a few compliments and whistles, but I'm sure they were all for my badass vehicle.

A few things caught my interest while driving downtown, one a music shop I'm sure was overstocked on obscure techno, two rad-looking coffee shops, and a bookstore that was having a sale on classic literature.

I was tempted to stop and grab a cup of coffee, but I wasn't sure if the school allowed drinks in the school. I doubted it. But a hazelnut macchiato did sound heavenly right now.

After sixteen minutes of driving, I had been successful at remembering the right directions, and now navigated through parking lot.

_Where do I park?, _I thought as my eyes scoured the parking spaces.

With a shrug to myself, I decided the guest parking would be okay for today, seeing as the cars in the student lot had matching stickers, permits, I assume, stuck to the bottom right of their windshields. I would probably have to get one from the office when I checked in to get my schedule.

Once parked and I killed my car, a fresh wave of panic set in.

Was it too late to escape this labyrinth of homework, gossip, teachers, cheerleaders, jocks, nerds (eh, I can handle that), cafeteria lunch, and possibly enemies and crawl back into my bed and just sleep?

My questioned was answered as a heard a bell echo throughout the campus, and my pulse returned to normal.

I'd be fine. I was a tough girl.

With a deep breath, I again shouldered my bag and gave one last glance-over at my reflection. I turned the rearview mirror to me, all of my charms and knick-knacks clinging together.

_Ugh... I hope my hair hasn't gone flat. _

I peered into the mirror, only... to find nothing.

The mirror only shows the lavender shaded front seat, and part of the backseat.

I gasp.

_Oh... wow, my nerves are freakin' out! Why was I looking into the mirror for?_

I don't have a reflection. I was born without one. I will never have one.

Oh, did I forget to mention that? I'm half vampire.

* * *

**Yeah! First chapter! I'm so excited! I congratulate anyone who's made it this far and I offer my highest hopes that you enjoyed this crazy little chapter. **

**I know a lot of people have stories involving half-vampires and their daily lives and trying to find their place in the world, but I want to make this different! I honestly think this will be fun, so stick around! **

**By the way, do I have any Motionless in White fans out there? Yeah, I love them too. They're going to be referenced a ton in this story. **

**I believe this is my first fic for me to not name any of the chapters, so if you somehow like it when authors do it, just comment and I will appeal to your wishes! **

**I also suggest to those who love metal music, listen to "Can You Feel My Heart" by Bring Me To The Horizon. This will be my theme song and main inspiration to this story, so... yeah. ^W^ **

**Have a great day everyone!**

**~theheartsbeat**


	2. Chapter 2

Shadow Of A Half Blood

Chapter Two

* * *

The office smelt like burnt feet. No joking. Burnt feet. How do I know? None of your business.

My name is Lucy Caven Sparrow, and, yes, I am a half-vampire. Dhampir, dhampyre, dhamphir, or dhampyr... whatever. Call me what you may. Just don't call me incomplete. I know I am, I don't need to be reminded.

My mother, Sandra Nellie Heights, a very good mom at most times and a wonderful harp player, is fully human. She is now married to Jason Clyde Heights and living in their new house in Shitsville, USA. The place I had lived in for six hellish years.

My father, Lucius Minuat Sparrow, an over-protective father on all accounts and is not that bad at the piano, is fully vampire. He remains unmarried and now lives in the coolest and hippest city in America, The City, as I like to call it. So original, right? Anyway, you can say I got into a fight with my mom and couldn't deal with her antics anymore. I moved in with my dad soon after that.

I've only lived here for a week now, and in that week, I asked my father to enroll me in the closest school. He was shocked, he thought I was just staying for a few days so I could take a break from my crazy mother. I only told him I didn't want to go back, it was much more than my mother; it was everything. School, society, and much more. I couldn't deal with the torment. He complied and signed me up for high school.

So, I was here. At high school. 'Yay!' for me. Cue the confetti.

Here, in this tiny office that reeked of burnt feet, casting a wishful eye at the exit. A window was on the right wall, so you could see anyone who was coming in from the entrance. A long wooden counter was set up in front of me, part of it missing so you could reach the hallway to the left, which I guessed led to the principal's office.

_I hope I don't end up there... today, at least.  
_

I waited patiently at the counter, waiting for the woman at the squat desk to notice me. She was tan and very pretty, with fashionable silver hoop earrings that dangled as she typed away on her computer. She wore a zebra print top underneath her black blazer, an odd clash that bedazzled me for a moment. After a moment, she still didn't notice me and I glanced up a the clock above her head.

8:03.

_Oh jeez... how long until the tardy bell rung? _

I took my chances and cleared my throat. Not loud, but audible enough for the secretary to hear. Her hands faltered on top of the keyboard as she stared at me. Honestly, I was used to it, but I wondered what she was awed about. It could be a variety of things: my creepy green eyes, my long, teal hair, my almost snow-white skin, my goth makeup, my perfectly manicured nails that tapped against the wood counter due to nervousness. Maybe all of them combined.

"Hi," I started uneasily, trying to smile reassuringly.

_Don't run, I seriously need your help. I'm just a tiny goth girl. I won't hurt you,_ I pleaded with my eyes.

"Hello," she chimed coolly, her face still showing signs of amazement.

"Uh, I'm new here. I'm Lucy Sparrow. I just need my schedule and parking permit, please," I said, surprised that I was able to kick the words out of my mouth.

After just one millisecond, her face lit up a bit and she started to rummage through the trays that laid off to the side. She pulled out a file, and even from here, I could make out the label: LUCY C. SPARROW, written in black marker.

She glanced at the contents for a bit before beckoning me over. I went through the missing section of the counter and walked up to her desk, and immediately I was hit with the smell of her perfume; strong at first, and I recoiled. Slowly, I got used to it, and I was able to name lilac and rose from the bouquet. It smelled nice, I guess, but overpowering, definitely overpowering.

I approached her, and she held out the files, almost cautiously, like I was going to bite her or something.

Alright, lesson time: I may be part vampire, but I am not a killer. I rarely drink blood. When I do, it's been donated and given up willingly. And that's on special occasions. The last time I did was my birthday, when I turned seventeen, only a couple of months ago in June. I was spending the summer with my father at that time, somewhere is L.A. But more often times than not; I stay away from the blood. I'm satisfied with normal food, thank you.

Anyway, I was careful not to touch her or anything, trying to show the equal amount of resentment she now showed me. I stuck the sticker that gave me permission to park in the student's lot in my checkered bag.

She explained different things about the school and dress code, eying my outfit the whole time (but I was fine, I didn't break the stupid code... not this time), and gave me a map of the school for reference. As I looked at the odd map, I thanked my lucky stars as I saw the school was one floor, so I didn't have to climb any stairs. But there were three different buildings that made of the school: the main building, the gym and workout room, and the fine arts building.

I internally groaned. That meant going outside in the daylight. Sure, I can tolerate it, but I'd prefer to steer clear of the sun.

My schedule was simple enough; 1st period: Trigonometry, 2nd period: Chemistry, 3rd period: Art III, 4th period: Study Hall, 5th period: AP U.S History, Lunch, 6th period: AP English, 7th period: Physics, 8th period: P.E.

_Oh god... _

P.E. Those words stuck out like a sore ass thumb, and my heart dropped to my feet.

_Physical Education... Just kill me now!_

Those words were my end, my wolfsbane, my stake in the heart, my... you get the picture.

Again, a bell chimed, echoing in the halls for a second.

"Um... what was that?", I asked, my eyebrows drawn together.

"That was the tardy bell," she stated as she turned from me.

"Uh...", I placed a steady hand on my forehead as I gazed at my map, looking for the Trig room.

_I'm going to have to run._

Before I could dash out of the room, the secretary held out something in front of my face.

An excused tardy slip.

My lips formed an 'o' and I gingerly took the piece of paper, cradling in my palm like it was the Holy Grail. Angelic choruses sang far above me, a divine light shimmering down on the simple object.

I threw the pretty secretary one of my rare smiles, the one where I showed teeth. Not so much that you would see my pearly fangs that were completely unretracted, but were still more prominent than the average human's canines.

"Thank you," I sang as I literally jogged out of the office, taking a left at the door.

The Trig room was at the very end, and as I made my way there, my spiked heels clicking against the sickening pale brown tile, my wary eyes glaring at the matching walls. The lockers are only a shade darker.

_Ugh. Whoever chose the color scheme deserves to be exiled. _

My bag jostled due to my items inside, my phone and other stuff like gum, a hairbrush, my bag of makeup, my wallet, and other... girly things. They don't lie when they say a woman's person is a black hole. It was very true.

Finally, I arrived to the room, to discover it was shut tight. Behind it, one voice could be heard, a high, soprano voice that was slightly obnoxious.

"...and you take the root of... now plug in the ratio...it would be easier if you turned the calculator _on_ , Michelle..."

I take a deep breath, trying to channel my Zen to all parts of my body, to bring in peace and moral focus to my mortal being. Well, half-mortal being.

Gathering up my courage, I knocked. My hands clenched and unclenched, my skin feeling completely frozen.

The door opens, the metal door knob giving way with a click.

Dark hazel eyes peer out.

"Yes?", the sickening high-pitched voice asks.

"Room 132, Trigonometry? Mrs...", I glance at my schedule quickly. "Parks?"

They don't say anything, those eyes unblinking.

"I'm a transfer student. I'm, uh, Lucy Sparrow," I huffed, my nervousness getting the best of me.

Silence creeps in again, then they hiss, "You're late."

I hastily dip my head in a nod, "Yes. I have an excuse."

Mrs. Parks opens the door wider, her skin clearly the victim of a blotched fake tan. It's an uneven variance in peach, plain ivory, and orange. I swiftly place the slip of paper in her palm, stopping myself from staring at the poor woman. Her eyes scan it quietly, then beckons me in.

"Take any open seat. I'll have your textbook shortly."

Unsure, I take a step forward, and I feel my face flush.

_Might as well dive right in._

I briskly walk in and refuse to make eye contact with anybody, and as my sights lock on the farthest row from me by the windows, I practically sprint to that seat, wanting to avoid the stares of the other students.

But no one can be that lucky. Every eyeball in the room trails me, my flushed face, my absurdly fancy shirt, my simplistic makeup for a goth girl.

_No one better talk shit about my makeup. I'd like to see them try to do theirs without a mirror, let alone a reflection! _

I plop down in the plastic seat, glad that it doesn't creak or something worse, like break. Despite all my hope and pleading, whispers could be heard, low and feverish in their topics. This, I couldn't make out, even if I tried. Just unintelligible words coursing through my ears.

I see Mrs. Parks rummage through a metal cabinet that is by the door that is nearly empty, save a dozen or so textbooks. After a few minutes of her doing that, she pulled out a dark blue textbook. Coming to my row, she hands it to the person in front. The person in front passes it behind her, and it was passed between four other people's hands before it reached me. The boy in front of me that had a sweatband strapped around his forehead, his blonde hair spiked up with a ton of gel tossed it carelessly to me, thumping it onto my desk. All of the eyes gravitated back to me, and my blushed deepened.

_This is going to be a long day..._

* * *

After half an hour in school, I'm ready to burn it down.

I just sit through Trig not really paying attention, just examining Mrs. Park's fake tan. It's really sad, it looks like a bag of Cheetos exploded on her, and I bet underneath the botched tan, she's pretty.

Her figure imitated an hourglass, her highlighted hair tied back into a ponytail. Her floor-length black skirt is really cool, but it would be a ton cooler if you put a few rips here and there. She also wore a short sleeved, pale pink button up with a bunch of tiny black polka dots on it.

I watch her ramble on and on for the whole class period, and finally, the bell rings.

Everyone surges up out of their seats, scrambling for the door. I'm the very last out. As I walk pass the doorway, I switch the heavy textbook to my other arm, reaching into my bag to pull out my schedule.

_Might as well dump this sucker in my locker before Chemistry. _

Off the side is my locker number, locker #579.

_Whoa. I have no idea where that is.  
_

Looking up, I grimaced at the swarm of people that gushed out of the doors and flooded the hallway, and even in the expanse roadway for students, the traffic was heavy.

I stood safely off the side, glancing left and right and left again with quizzical brows drawn up high on my forehead.

At that exact moment, the cluster of lockers that stood from my right were bombarded with students that hurdled their books and binders into them. The one closest to me shut quickly, and I met a pair of amazing gray eyes.

Those entrancing eyes belonged to a girl about my height, her long brown hair cut and teased in a Scene style, a black bow pinned to the side of her head. She wore a black three-quarter-long sleeved V-neck, a ton of necklaces drenching her throat. Her black sheer tights that had dark skulls printed on them were ripped and some holes were haphazardly sewed back together. Her gray miniskirt composed of many layers of fabric, her Doc Martens matching the gray of the skirt. She was pale, but more of an ivory color than snow white. Her cheeks were considerably pink despite all the powder she wore, along with heavy eyeliner and smoky eyeshadow.

She blinked a few times as she looked at me, and I did the same. She was like, super-hot. No joke.

_No, I'm not gay or bi-sexual, not even bi-curious. I was plain straight. I know, I'm lame._

But she was gorgeous.

In her arms were a few notebooks and a textbook, but I couldn't see what it was.

"Uh... hi," she said, her voice in a nice alto range.

I peered around me, making sure she was talking to me. Just to make sure, I aimed my index finger at me.

The gray-eyed girl gave a laugh and moved over to me, her steely irises glimmering. "Yeah, you. I see that your new here."

I pouted my lip playfully. "That obvious, huh?"

Again, she chuckled, and she ushered out her free hand to me. "I'm Aerin. Aerin White."

Trying to be friendly, I shook her hand, replying, "Lucy Sparrow. Cool name by the way."

"Yeah, its a name my mom read in Lord of the Rings or something. Yours is pretty too, reminds of me of Lucy Westenra from Dracula," she sighed. "She's my favorite character, actually. I feel so bad for her."

"She _was_ pretty great in the 1931 movie," I say, a thoughtful finger tapping against my chin.

"That's my favorite version of the Dracula movies! I have an antique movie poster of it in my room. I love it too much, it's crazy, really."

We share a laugh together, then she indicates to me. "You look pretty lost. Where are you headed?"

I hand her my schedule and explain as she examines it. "I have Chemistry with Ms. Barker next, but I need to find my locker first. Do you know where it is?"

"Do I know every word to Edward Scissorhands?", she exclaims as she grabs my arm. She leads me down the main hallway, and when the path intersects going in four different directions, the very center of the school, we steer left.

We pass by so many doors, I lose count at twelve. Mostly due to our almost sprinting down the hallway.

We stop in front of any other matrix of lockers, only I notice something slightly disturbing about them. Every single one of them, save mine, were flocked with statuesque beauties, although they did lack in politeness.

"Ugh, like we needed another freak," I hear someone whisper.

They all seemed to step back as I moved forward with Aerin in tow, and without falter, I threw open my locker and placed my Trig textbook on the middle shelf. A hook was in there for backpacks and bags, but I wanted to keep my bag with me for now.

Upon closing it, I ignored the snide looks from the 'popular' chicks and faced Aerin. She looked as uncomfortable as I was.

"There we go. Thanks for helping me find it," I say, running my fingers through my cerulean-toned hair, probably messing up some of my curls.

She nods and casts a dainty hand to my bag. "I didn't tell you earlier, but your bag is really sweet. I love your Hatsune Miku patch."

I glance down to the tiny Vocaloid character that had the same teal hair as me. She was holding up a stalk of leeks, which is hilarious in my opinion. "Yeah, I had an obsession with Vocaloid a few years back."

"They have some pretty great music, my friend makes me listen to them. She is such an anime freak," she recounts.

Suddenly, I remember I'm in school, and as sucky as it sounds to depart from my new friend, I huff, "Do you mind showing me to the Chemistry room? I don't want to get yelled at for bring late again."

To this, all the eaves-dropping girls giggle in chorus, and I roll my eyes. Aerin noticeably grinds her teeth and mutters something under her breath.

I don't ask to hear it again, but a strawberry blonde places her hand on her hip. "What was that, Goth Freak?"

Aerin is obviously shaking from rage, but surprisingly, she keeps it together. "None of your business, Barbie Bitch."

Before more words are exchanged, Aerin guides me away from the lockers and crowd of sour-faced cheerleaders. Upon our rush, I'm almost crushed by who I guessed was the star quarterback of the football team, due to his extreme size in muscles. Aerin is clearly fuming, her eyes narrowed menacingly. Once the tumult of students start to dissipate, she slows and allows me to walk beside her.

"I can't stand those whores. They're constantly haggling people like you and me; the outcasts," she hisses. "We don't deserve that shit from them. Especially you. You haven't done anything to them. Just because you dress differently they want to alienate and haze you. I don't understand."

I press my mouth into a thin line as she talks, but then I add, "I bet they're just jealous because I get led around by you. I mean, you're so nice. I can't see why they dislike you."

Aerin smiles gleefully and absentmindedly fingers one of her necklaces. It's cute, it looks like a cluster of crystals, varying in shades of green.

"I don't know a lot about you, but you're pretty cool," she confided, then threw in, "You should sit with us at lunch. Meet my weird friends and stuff like that. They'll love you."

I shyly smirked and threw her a doubting look. "We'll see about that."

* * *

Aerin drops me off at the Chemistry room, pointing a slim finger a few doors down. "I'll be Spanish, and after, we can go to the Fine Arts building together."

I bid her a goodbye while she wished me good luck.

As soon as I set foot in the room, a tall guy with shaggy black hair cruised by me, and when he accidentally bumped into me, turned and exclaimed, "Oh, whoa, sorry, I-"

His eyes were wide, and he tilted his head at me. I pursed my lips in confusion, but then started with my own apology. "It's no big deal. I'm fine."

He blinked a few times before mumbling, "Uh, I've never seen you here... before. You're new?"

I give him a skeptical expression, an eyebrow quirking upward. "Yeah, I'm new. Did you get any brain trauma when I bumped into you?"

Despite my morbid sense of humor, he laughs. He has a nice laugh, even a really cute smile. I quickly take in his baby-faced features, his black hair that nearly engulfs all of his face. His eyes are a pretty caramel color, almost gold. He wore dark blue skinny jeans and a black and white flannel shirt, the long sleeves rolled up. His Vans are completely blacked out, and in silver Sharpie has written a bunch of lyrics and quotes.

"No, I don't think so at least. Are you really okay?"

I snicker, and nod. "I'm Lucy, by the way."

"Like the Beatles song, 'Lucy In The Sky'?", he rambles, his eyes still scanning my face.

Again, I let out a chuckle. "Well, it's spelled the same way, but I'm not named after that. That's so... hippie."

"Ha. I guess so. But, I'm...", he starts with a flair I wasn't expecting, his hand poised on his chest and the other flaunting his scrawny body, "Avery Lee. Pleased to meet you."

Immediately after his introduction, a short woman walks out of the back rooms, boxes piled in her arms, whom I guessed was the teacher.

"Alright, class. Take your seats. I have a surprise for you all," she announces, and the room starts to buzz with whispers and chatter. "Pipe down! Jeez! Asia could hear you with the level of hertz you omit."

The chemistry teacher, Ms. Barker, was frazzled-looking, to say the least. Her sandy-blonde hair was in disarray, a natural wave preserving it well enough. She wore glasses, and looked about thirty, with blue eyes and a round figure. She wore dark brown slacks and an ivory shirt with sheer sleeves, woven bracelets clinging to her wrists.

She walked to the front of the room and slams the boxes down on her cluttered desk, pulls out a box cutter and sets to work on opening and emptying them of the contents.

I visually rake the inside of the classroom quickly, seeing as there were only ten other people excluding the teacher, Avery and me. All the desks were black tables, two in each row, two chairs to a table. On either side of the room were labs, Bunsen burners, an arsenal of tubes and vials, and flasks filled with bright liquids crowding them.

"C'mon," Avery whispers as he pulls me forward to Ms. Barker's desk, who is still busy with the boxes. "Ms. Barker!"

Her frantic blue eyes met ours, and she pushed up her glasses, saying, "Ah, Mr. Lee. What do need?"

Avery indicated to me, coaxing me forth. "This is our new student: Lucy Sparrow," I gave a small wave. "She just needs a textbook and a place to sit."

Ms. Barker smiles as she looks at me. It's a genuine smile, and she sets down her boxer cutter. "Lucy Sparrow, huh? You're in Chemistry _and _Physics."

Avery gasps as my face warms and I hastily explain, "Yeah, I wanted to get it over with. I want to take Earth Sciences next year, so..."

Ms. Barker again positions her glasses on her chubby nose, her smile faltering a bit. She chides, "Well, just to let you know, that is a very smart move. But I also wanted you to know that I'm not going to be easy on you." Here, her smirk reappears and she adds, "That's pretty cold of me, but you might as well be aware of my terms."

I dip my head. "Understood."

"Good!", she chirped, setting to work once again. "Mr. Lee, if you could give her a Chemistry textbook and place her wherever you see fit," She glances at him a she sneers, "And I'd prefer her near the front, please."

* * *

Chemistry comes and goes and I barely keep up with Avery's flow of questions that stream out of his mouth. He asks about my original hometown, my parents, other family, past friends, pets, and other unsubstantial interrogations. He was slightly annoying, but he didn't mean any harm by it, so I complied with answers.

The bell rings and as I'm picking up all of my stuff, Avery is still talking about some cool club he goes to on the weekends when Aerin walks in.

"Lucy!", she sings as she strolls in, and upon seeing Avery, pauses and places a hand on her narrow hips. "Avery Lee! Nice to see you nipping at the new girl's heels like a forgotten puppy! Typical!"

The scrawny guy rolls his eyes, Avery retorted, "Zip your lip, Aerin. I'm being nice. Just showing Lucy here my amazing Chemistry skills."

Aerin glares, then turns to me. "That's not the only thing he'll try to show you that he doesn't have."

I couldn't stop my laughing even if I tried. Aerin joins me. Furrowing his brow, Avery turns on his heels and storms out, stomping his Vans loudly as he did.

Aerin tossed a lock of her hair back with grace, her lips twisted into a smile as she yelled, "See you at lunch, Avery!"

She waves a hand to the door, saying, "Shall we go, milady?"

I nod and reply, "We shall."

* * *

**Ugh... not my best work ever, I'm so sorry if it's boring as crap. -_- I really tried. For reals!  
**

**Currently listening to: Black Damask (The Fog) by Motionless in White. (It's so good! X3)  
**

**Well, that's all! Review if you wish and thanks for reading!**

**~theheartsbeat**


	3. Chapter 3

Shadow Of A Half Blood

Chapter Three

* * *

Art III and Study Hall flash before my eyes, and I'm currently sitting in the U.S. History classroom of the main building, the only class I have with Aerin. She introduces me to her friend; Vanessa Smith, a cute girl in our grade who clearly comes from Hispanic descent, although her pale skin and green eyes said otherwise.

She had a cool taste in clothes; a pair of tight hot pink leather pants clung to her slim legs, and wore a white chiffon button-up with a pink camisole underneath. Her hair was wavy and a blue-black color, her long bangs pinned to the side. She had a rose-colored jewel for a Monroe piercing and a few bars in her eyebrows. Her ears are pierced in every place possible, hoops and studs in a rainbow of color.

We talked among ourselves most of the class period, the teacher was absent and the substitute was such a push-over.

Aerin, Vanessa and I mostly chatted about the school and the other guys that frequented their little gang like Avery, this other guy named Ulysses Williams'[(whose real name was Carl, poor guy), Ulysses's brother who was actually a freshman, Silver, but still hung out with the older kids, and Benjamin Brennan.

They all sounded really cool, so I was excited to meet them.

After the bell rung, Avery and Vanessa led me to the cafeteria, which branched off the main building, connected by a single hall that was crowded with glass classes filled with trophies and medals.

It was kind of narrow hallway for a school, and creepy too. Like a hall of mirrors. That's what it felt like with all the glimmering clean glass of the cases, and panic set in as I thought of someone seeing I didn't have a reflection. But no one did. Lucky me.

The two gorgeous goth girls took the pleasure of opening the mammoth double-doors for me, showcasing it like it was the portal to Narnia. I let out a gasp.

The cafeteria was huge.

A sky-blue hue was painted on the walls, a large step from the mundane beige of the classrooms and halls. Individual tables were scattered around, allowing eleven chairs at each one. The line to the lunch food was long, but impressively enough, the food didn't look at that disgusting.

Today's lunch was lasagna, garlic rolls and a salad, a choice between milk, apple juice and water for drinks.

Oh, don't get me started on garlic. It takes a while to explain, but I'll just cover the basics, okay? The race of vampires I share part of my genetics with are  
deathly 'allergic' to garlic, in a sense. It can instantly kill them if ingested, and there are rare cases that if inhaled or contact is breached, vampires do die. I could die if I eat a bit, but if I have enough time, I can throw it back up and be fine (gross, right?), touching it does burn, like a first-degree burn that covers the area it touched. Smelling it makes me nauseous, but I'm okay with it most of the time. Right now, I just feel the scent clawing up my nose, an icy feeling washing over my body.

Vanessa grabs my hand and flashes me a big smile, pulling me to the line as Aerin followed close behind. It didn't take long to grab our food, which I hold far, far away from me as I pulled out a bottle of water out from the cooler.

Us three girls laugh and poke fun at each other during our long walk to their table, and before I set down, I see Avery waving to me.

"Yo, Lucy!", he calls as he pats the seat beside him, but Vanessa quickly steps in front of me.

"Not a chance, Avery," she growls.

"Yeah, stop being a creeper," Aerin sneered, taking the seat he had saved for me.

Avery pouted. "C'mon. I was trying to be nice," he whimpered, his pretty eyes wide and innocent.

Aerin only rolls her eyes and beacons me to sit by her. I take it thankfully, setting my plate down on the table as I do and push it away. Vanessa slips her lithe body in the chair next to mine.

Across the table, I met the cute little face of a fifteen-year-old boy who I guessed was Silver, his brown hair straightened and spiking up in a few places, wearing black jeans, a studded belt and a Like Moths To Flames t-shirt.

"Hi!", he shouted, but his voice was as gentle as a kitten's meow.

Before I could say anything back, Aerin butts in, "Lucy, this is Silver Williams. Silver, this is Lucy Sparrow. She's new here."

Vanessa cuts in before I can speak, snorting, "Of course he knows she's new. She's the talk of the whole school right now. Like, trending."

"Ugh. You and your Twitter obsession."

"Wait... I'm the talk of the school?", I whisper, staring at Vanessa.

"Of course. We may be a big school in a big town, but we rarely have new students. New _goth_ students are even rarer."

"_Pretty _goth girls, rarer still," Avery adds, winking at me.

Aerin swiftly kicks him before quipping, "He forgot his meds today."

After that ensues a heavy argument between Avery and Aerin, both turning red as the tomato sauce on the lasagna in the process. After a few minutes, the show no signs of stopping.

That's when two guys walk up. Two_ really cute_ guys, to be exact.

One was extremely tall, with spiked up half black, half toxic green hair, batting large hazel eyes, and snakebite piercings. He was pretty well built, mostly toned in his arms and chest. A black leather jacket with a human skull with lime green ooze dripping from its sockets on the back was draped over his Rolling Stones band tee, wearing tight jeans that matched the color of his green hair. His lazily laced up motorcycle boots had spikes and chains scattered over them. My guess that this was Ulysses.

The other was only slightly shorter, with dark brown hair that had a section close to his left ear buzzed off, showing off all his tapers and helix earrings. He was lankier than Ulysses, his sweet face outfitted with matching purple dimple piercings and a few rings hanging off his eyebrows. His eyes were a deep blue color, almost an oceanic hue. He wore a white button-up dress shirt, a black and purple striped tie that hung loosely around his neck, black skinny jeans and a pair of classic Converse. This must be Benjamin.

Ulysses take the right seat by Silver, Benjamin taking the left.

"What's up, guys?" Benjamin asks softly, his voice velvety. Quickly, he eyes me and one of his pierces brow raise. "Who do we have here?"

I tuck a lock of my hair behind me as I start, "I'm Luc-"

"Lucy Sparrow! Isn't she adorable?", Silver cheers, holding his face in his petite hands as he dreamfully looks at me.

Benjamin nods. "Quite."

"What do you think, big bro? Lucy is pretty, right?", Silver asks as he turns to his brother.

Ulysses smiles and ruffles his hair. "Yeah, she is. But she's a bit old for you, Silver."

My blush builds with each word that mentions me being pretty, up until I resemble a fire engine.

"Aw! She's blushing!", Silver announces to the whole group.

They all 'aw' at me and I sink lower into my chair, hiding my face in my hands.

"Guys, please...", I moan.

"Alright, alright," I hear Avery's voice warn. "You've had your fun. Don't make her first day absolute hell."

They all giggle as their ruckus dies down, and I feel a smile creep over my lips.

_I'd like it here._

* * *

**Wow, not my best work, honestly... But I'm not totally disappointed! :D  
**

**Listening to: When You Can't Sleep by Of Mice & Men. **

**Have a great day and drop a review! **


	4. Chapter 4

Shadow Of A Half Blood

Chapter Four

* * *

**Intense language here, you've been warned! ^w^**

* * *

_Or so I thought. _

A whimsical and beautiful laugh cut through the air, and peek between my fingers to see the most beautiful person I've ever seen. Although her eyes gleamed mean, that screamed rotten and mischievous.

Those eyes were mix between a violet and a cerulean color, too perfect of a blend. Her pin straight blonde hair shimmered and gleamed, a labor of vanity. Her tanned skin glowed with golden radiance, like a layer of glitter was permanently embedded in her flesh. Pink lips puckered with interest, her perfectly upturned nose raised so much so that if her eyes glared down at you at the right angle, shudders would erupt through you and make you feel like utter shit. Her too-tight blouse and pink miniskirt clung to the curves her body for dear life, a bit too much cleavage popping out to say 'hello'.

"Lucy Sparrow, huh?" The blonde mused, crossing her tan legs from her perch on the table across the aisle from us.

I nod quietly, but despite my answer, Benjamin turns, glaring, and retorted, "Yeah. What's it to ya, Carmen? Just poking your worked-on nose in someone else's business?"

She huffs, tossing her beautiful silky hair behind her. Her smile doesn't falter a bit. "Oh, you know me so well, little Goth Boy."

Benjamin narrows his eyes further. "Maybe a bit _too _well," he quips.

Her smile fades. "You wish, freak."

"Doesn't everybody? Oh, wait... no body does," Vanessa hisses.

"Shut your mouth, weirdos. I was trying to talk to the lovely Lucy any way." Blondie's eyes find mine again. "Now... where to begin?"

Feeling bold, I cross my arms defensively. Did she seriously think I'd listen to more of her shit when I just hear her hate on my new friends?

I leave my stare blank as I calmly state, "When did I say I would listen to you, ... Oh, sorry. 'Cause you were busy being a rude bitch, I never caught your name."

My remark catches her off guard. It gets a perfect reaction from her. A furrowed brow, a downward tilt on those plump, cherry lips.

Then her eyes flash with an unspeakable fire, and she hops down from her perch, moving a few steps to me. Suddenly, I fear for cute, little Silver's well-being if she decided to get into an all-out fight with me.

"You little bitch, I-"

"Like I haven't heard_ that _one before," I cut in, a small smile on my lips.

Now, she's fuming. Her hands form fists, her pink nails cutting through her palms, no doubt. Her eyes scream for my blood, but little did she know, I was close to flinging myself at her and sucking her body dry.

I was terrified for a moment. I've never felt blood-thirsty before. I didn't know how to handle it. I did the best I could do and clench my hands into fists like her too. My nails bite into my hand, and I fight my rage. I fell my fangs brush against the inside of my mouth, ready for feeding. For the first time, I'm fighting with my beast. And it's frightening.

"I am fucking Carmen Conquest, bitch, and I rule this school. I am four thousand times more popular than any other puny bitch you've dealt with at your other schools. And to think, I was going to offer you something spectacular. Something none of you losers we never have; popularity. You were going to be one of my little pets, and I would have treated you nicely. But now..." She pauses and gives me a pretty decent death-stare. "You're going to fucking pay. In blood. Do you hear me? Your life is going to be a hell-hole for the next two years... No. For the rest of your life."

I glance away and sigh, letting another grin spread across my face. I stand up and place my hands flat on the table before me. Still looking down, I snarl, "Oh, I'm going to pay? I'm the one who started this whole mess? Who said I would care about your little 'pet collection', anyway?" Glancing up, I laugh. "And I'm the one who's going to pay in blood? That's too bad..." I let my fangs slide pass my lips and flash in the artificial light. "Because my bite hurts a ton more than my bark!"

Carmen stumbles back and almost trips over a chair in the process. Her eyes are wide as saucers and her lips are ready to rip a scream.

"Vam-vampire!", she squeals, her whole glamorous body shaking.

"That's right- I'm not a bitch, I'm a bat!", I claim as the whole table howls and hoots like wild animals. Carmen high-tailed it out of there.

I feel power surge through me, and slowly, slowly, I feel my fangs recede back into their original length, which is still longer than normal mortal's canines.

_How am I going to explain this to them? _I thought as I let my fingers brush my fangs.

With a large exhale, I plop back down in my seat, letting the cheers from my table engulf all of my hearing.

"Oh. My. God. Lucy. That was too great!", Aerin shouted.

"Wow... that was... wow," Avery said breathlessly.

"This is _so_ going on Twitter," Vanessa murmured, tapping away on Blackberry underneath the table.

"Lucy is cute _and_ feisty," Silver exclaims, his eyes steady on my blushing face.

"Normally I wouldn't be cool with that kind of language being used around Silver, but... that's an exception," Ulysses breathed, leaning back in his chair.

"Diddo," Benjamin agrees, tapping a random beat with his fingertips on the table.

While all this noise bubbled around me, I placed my head on the table and let the coolness of it calm me down. I close my eyes for a second, and let the beast inside simmer with hatred for a second.

"Dude, Lucy, I can't believe I didn't notice those mothers earlier! They're awesome! Where did you get them done?", I heard Aerin yell, excitement dripping from her tone.

I glance up and give a big, fang-bearing smirk. All of the group awed as I did.

"Got them last year, aren't they wicked?", I lied, feeling guilt flood my whole being.

"Hell yeah!"

_What have I done?,_ I thought, slamming my head back down. _ I'm doomed. _

* * *

The rest of my day surprisingly flew by quickly, and I found my self heading to my luxurious car, my hair thrown up in a messy ponytail due to gym class. My new gym uniform hung in my P.E. locker, drenched in sweat from the laps we did around the track.

I had that class with Vanessa and Benjamin, and we all huffed a few conversations as we jogged around and around in circles. They wouldn't stop bringing up Carmen Conquest, the prissy Barbie look-alike that tried to ruin my first day and newly forged friendships. They gossiped like tween girls, but oddly enough, were refined about it.

They told me about the mechanics of Carmen's life and her clan that constantly swarmed her like she was a queen bee.

"She surrounds herself with 'representatives' of each clique of the school, except the goths," Benjamin hastily explained, casting an all-knowing look at me.

"She has the jocks, the geeks, the wannabes, the band nerds, the amateur video-game developers, the wannabe wannabes, the stoners, the foreign-exchange students, the book worms, the tomboys, every clique underneath our red and black sun," Vanessa grumbled, throwing a hand over a the scoreboard of the football field. The school colors were black and red, which is pretty cool, and the mascot was a panther, which is cooler.

"She's tried to make all of us join, even Silver," Benjamin added, shaking his head. "Poor kid was scared out of his wits. Almost gave her a black eye."

I giggled at the thought of adorable Silver throwing a punch or two at the ferocious Carmen Conquest.

"I wonder why no goth has joined her," I thought aloud, wiping some sweat of my forehead.

"Because we don't give into temptation. It's not that the other 'representatives' groups they come from are stupid, Carmen was able to offer power as bait to the weakest link...and they took it," Vanessa huffed, her ponytail swishing side to side.

"But we've stayed strong," Benjamin declared, flexing his bicep at me.

"And we'll stay strong," I threw in, my grin flashing my fangs.

"Seriously, where the hell did you get those suckers?", Benjamin insisted, attempting to poke one. I snapped at him playfully and he retreated his hand back sheepishly.

"It's my little secret," I said, sprinting ahead, egging them on. "You guys are so slow!"

And so ensued the last hour of my first day.

_Not exactly perfect, _I scowled internally with the thought of Carmen's evil and snide face fresh on my mind.

_But totally worth everything, _I reflected, all the smiling faces of the goths I had befriended today flashing behind my closed eyes, especially Vanessa and Benjamin's sly looks as they flew past me on the track.

* * *

"One hazelnut macchiato, please. And don't get skimpy with the espresso," I quip at the hip-looking woman behind the counter.

Her ruby lips spread into a smile as she writes down my order. She gazes back up and gives a wink. "Trust me, your cute face won't let it happen."

She rings up my order and I scour my wallet for exact change. Yeah, I'm OCD, whatever. After I put a few coins in the tip jar and earn another smile from the cashier, I move over to the cushioned chair by the window to await my coffee.

I don't understand why people call me cute and pretty all the time. It's not like I think I deserve more than that or anything, I just wasn't as worthy of those compliments. I felt that Aerin and Vanessa were way prettier than me, with their kickin' bodies and faces that would make a model jealous.

I guessed it was the glamour that was engrained in my DNA, clouding up the human's minds around me to distort their vision. That's how glamour worked, a painless drug-like substance that alters your perception of the vampire, or half-vampire to find them alluring. That made hunting easier.

But for full-fledged vampires, it was different; rather than be ordinary-looking or disgusting, for that matter, they were so staggeringly gorgeous that it frightens the mortal prey. Charming them with glamour came around a few centuries ago. For half-vampires, they are sometimes just as beautiful as fully vampire counterpart. But I was different. I wasn't even as pretty as the humans I hung out with.

_Glamour... it's all the glamour._

Suddenly, I thought back to Carmen Conquest. Such a rude and vile girl like her shouldn't have friends, aka 'followers', but she does. It was just the glamour, the popularity that created a seemingly perfect aura around her and attracted all of the school.

_Ugh. I will never understand humans... to difficult..._

"Hazelnut macchiato, extra espresso," a guy at the other end of the counter called, holding up my scrumptious-looking coffee.

I jump up and stride to him, flashing a smile as I took the macchiato from him. One sip, and I was cured.

Thoughts of Carmen Conquest and glamour just faded away...

* * *

I arrived back at the house around five.

After parking my Mercedes in the driveway and putting up the roof so vandals wouldn't get any bright ideas, I locked it up and sauntered up to the front door. Upon entering, I tiptoed to the kitchen, throwing open the fridge and cabinets, grabbing what food there was, piling it all into my arms.

After I managed to balance the package of Oreos on top of the box of Cosmic Brownies, I headed up the stairs and down the main hallway, opening up my bedroom door with a swift kick.

I spent the afternoon watching Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal on my decently-sized Magnavox TV, quoting the notorious Doctor Lector and Clarice Starling while munching on a variety of junk food.

After the credits rolled on Hannibal, I yawned and sprawled out on my bed, staring out the window to the night sky, wondering what I should do now. With a sigh, I got up and decided to pass the time picking out my outfit for tomorrow. Tomorrow was Saturday, and Aerin told me we should go shopping at this store she really liked. Vanessa was coming with us too, claiming she needed a few things.

In my closet I kept all of my dresses, ranging in color, length, tightness, lace patterns, etc. After a while of puckering my lips and scouring my whole closet, I picked out a lacy black gothic babydoll dress with the big bow in the back. I grabbed my cherry red Mary Janes with the black accents, deciding to pair it with my black satin choker with a red crystal heart on it. Suddenly I remembered a tube of lipstick I had the exact shade of red, and after finding that, was searching through my makeup bag for maroon eyeshadow when there was a knock on my door.

Upon opening it, I met the gentle face of Rem, the housemaid, a sweet Irish woman that's traveled with my father for many years. She was a full-fledged vampire.

"I see that you've survived your first day of school, Lucy. Welcome home," she said with a bright smile.

I mirrored her smile and muttered, "Thanks, Rem. You don't know how happy I am now that I'm back."

Rem's grin only got wider. "Good thing you don't go back tomorrow, but in two days you will," she prodded.

I growled and opened my door wider. "Is there anything else, Rem?"

Her fangs became illuminated by the light of the candles that sat on the small stand by my door. "Dinner's ready."

After giving my nod, I stated, "Alright. Tell father I'll be there shortly."

I bid Rem goodbye and closed the door. Quickly, I gathered all of the trash from my snacks, the wrappers of Jolly Ranchers, the empty container of chocolate-chip cookies, dumping them all in the too small wastebasket by my door. I kept the uneaten food piled on my armchair.

With a smile to myself, I slipped out the door into the hallway.

All the candles were lit like they were this morning, tall, antique candelabras lining the long hall. Portraits hung here and there, doors with shiny brass doorknobs placed in random alignment; this house was confusing, to say the least.

A painting of my grandmother (my father's mother) came into view, and I paused by it, my interest peaking at the sight of her elegant face. She was a very renowned vampiress, known for her beauty and intellect in vampire politics. But an interesting fact was that while she was a great spokeswoman, she mostly got her way by bribing. Her lineage contained the ancient blood of long-ago vampire kings and queens, their names lost to history. You'd think with a vampire's long memory, they would remember, but alas, they failed in this case.

Anyway, with her powerful blood in her family tree, she used her availability of marriage to get her way, promising her hand to whoever did her request was met, she end the engagement. Evil, I know, but clever all the same.

But my grandmother did not do this for the power. She did it for the good of the vampire society, for all of the underworld. Many good things happened because of her. The fact that vampires still remained secret was partially due to her.

So, yeah. Half of my blood belonged to that of a very ancient, very powerful, respected family in a vampire sense... but I was still outcasted for the other half, my human half.

When I was born, my parents were both barely in their twenties, engaged. And upon seeing my fangs, but steadily beating heart, they agreed on letting my mother's mortal world being the world I was to be raised in. My parents broke off their engagement for my safety, seeing as the vampire society would never fully understand my father's situation and would lower his status.

Yes, my father cared for his position very much. He was born into a family where your bloodline comes first, and if that is broken (like, for instance, lil' o' half-vamp, half-human me being born) they are to deny having anything to do with that curse.

Sure, I was offended when I was nine, a little girl with no reflection and no dad, was told that her father wasn't around because of his duty to his family.

Especially when _I_ was he family too. I was his child. His daughter.

So, when I turned twelve, he found me. He told me that he didn't care anymore, and wanted to be around more often. My dad promised he would never hurt me again, and even though he and my mom wouldn't be together, would try to be a decent parent. He had missed twelve years of my life, so I didn't let that slide easily. My handprint didn't fade from his cheek for a week.

But I complied. I spent all of my breaks for school (winter, spring, and summer) with him, learning about my vampire heritage from a safe distance. I still haven't met any other vampire except my father, Rem, and Marcellus. I was still waiting to meet my own grandmother, who knows of existence, but her loyalty to the vampire society drew us apart. She was an advocate to keep vampires as a contained and secret race while her own granddaughter was a halfling, a breach in the contact of a vampire and an unturned human. She wrote to father once that she was dying to meet me, and sent her wishes to me. So, I had no hard feelings toward her, seeing her love radiate even to me, an outcast.

Now I gazed at her youthful, beaming face, her haunting green eyes, waterfalls of black curls, and the heart-shaped face I inherited from her, silently wondering if she looked any different now. Father said vampires stopped aging when they reached thirty or forty, but for a few lucky ones, even twenty. It was different for every vampire, but until then, you grew up like any other human.

Turned vampires were different. They immediately stopped aging, like a type of resin solidified them into that eternal state of youth.

With a sigh, I turned from the painting, growing tired of such depressing feelings of reject and incompleteness weighing me down. I continued down the hallway, avoiding the blank stares of the other portraits of my other cryptic relatives, varying in their tastes of clothes. Some were dressed in regal gowns of the French Revolution period, others in suits from Victorian England, even some in Confederate or Union uniforms.

It's amazing even to me how much vampires have affected the world's history. Wars, treaties, famines and times of prosperity revolved around the actions of the society of vampires. I personally found the life of a vampire frightening, wondering how modern vamps have found their way to this time, seeing all the weaknesses they possessed. With the threat of garlic, sunlight, stakes, and the fact an angry mob can form quite easily, vampires should not even exist. With so many ways to be destroyed, how did they make it this far?

Well, that was apparent. With immense strength, intelligence, speed, and charms, they were far more dominant than humans. They controlled their mortal counterparts and saw them as disposable. Well, at first.

But then different vampire families started to oppose this idea. My grandmother was one of the first. And laws were passed, and blah, blah, blah. It was very confusing and it dragged on a bit, so maybe I'll explain another time.

As I stepped off the last stair, I entered the small drawing-room to my right as I did this morning, but darted to the south wall of the room, an archway leading off into the dining room. It was cavernous, vaulted ceilings, a marble fireplace, a huge dark oak table with fine linen laid over it, all that good stuff dominating the room. The dining room screamed elegance, and dripped with rich, decorative tastes. My father spared no expense on this room.

Father was waiting at the head of the table, busy reading the newspaper, his glasses sitting on the edge of his nose.

"Hey, dad," I greeted, excited to see him.

A smile spreads across his face as he sees me approaching and casually sets the paper down, the headline unseen.

"Lucy," he addresses, discarding his glasses. "Did you have a good day?"

I sit down in the left throne-like seat beside him, clasping my hands in front of me. "Yeah, good... good. Today was good."

Father eyes me warily and gives a shrug. "Whatever you say."

A moment passes then I indicate to the newspaper he was reading before I came into the room. "Anything interesting happening? Are the stocks good?", I tease at the last part, because if there is anything I detest more, it was the stock market. It was too confusing, and my head felt like it was going to explode whenever anyone tried to explain it to me. So, I suggest not mentioning anything that had to do with stocks. I would most likely pass out from anxiety.

Dad gives me a wry grin as I make my joke, clearly catching on that I was kidding. "Nothing much...", he mumbles, but as he looks away, murmurs, "No... I should get this out of the way."

My eyebrows claw up my forehead as I searched my father's face. "What is it, dad?"

Dad's light green eyes narrow. My blood turns cold as he stares at me. "There's a blood thirsty vampire loose in the city, Lucy," he says as he flips the newspaper back over. The headline read: _'24 KNOWN DEAD, 17 MISSING; HOMICIDE EXPECTED'. _

"And they show no sign of stopping."

* * *

**Oh... wow. A lot of stuff happened in this chapter! **

**So, you met Carmen Conquest, the bitch of the school, and you learned of a very murderous vampire running rampant... could I seriously make this any cheesier? No... no I don't think so. **

**Listening to: 'Madness' by Muse. **

**Anyway, thank you for reading, favoring, following, reviewing this story and have a marvelous day! ^w^ **


	5. Chapter 5

Shadow Of A Half Blood

Chapter Five

* * *

My fists clench and I feel my fangs swell inside of my gums. I take a deep breath, letting all of my uneasiness flow out when I exhale. My eyes are steady on my father's, while his were the same to me.

"How long has this been going on?", I ask, my canines brushing my bottom lip.

"A month."

"A... _month_?!", I repeated, shocked. "Twenty-four people dead and seventeen others, most likely dead already? Why has no one stopped this? Why hasn't the council -"

Father cuts in. "Lucy, calm down. They just found out three weeks ago that this could be the work of vampires. After that, they assumed it could be a traveling coven who over-ate when it was the first five or seven found dead. They thought they would pass in a few days. But the numbers kept adding up. More and more were reported either dead or missing, grouping the missing persons in because of the fashion of how they disappeared."

"Which is...?"

"Different times but all within the nighttime hours. But there could be more missing due to the fact that no one could have seen the person in days, seventeen is the estimate to the council. But what led us in the assumption that it is a vampire is what condition the killer left the bodies in."

_Bodies. _The word causes shivers to rack up and down my spine.

"No teeth marks. Throats ripped open, needles stuck in their skin, torn limbs causing blood to flow. But even worse: the victims were only less than _half _drained of their blood. This vampire isn't killing for food. They're killing for _fun_."

My jaw drops and my fangs extend further. "You said that the council suspected a coven earlier. What made them change their minds?"

"If it was a coven, they would have caught them by now. But it's one. And a clever one too. Side-stepped all of the traps so far," Father explains darkly, his arms crossed.

"A newborn? Freshly awoken with blood thirst?"

"No. If this was a vampire freshly turned from a human, much more blood would have been consumed. They wouldn't have time for torture or targeting. The death toll would be far more higher, and a trail much more prominent, therefore, easier to catch."

"Targeting?", I whisper, my whole body cold.

"All of the bodies were found different times, but with a vampire's sense of smell, we can indicate how long the body has been decaying, and what time they died," Father said, now leaning forward. "We discovered the vampire took the victims in groups. But, somehow, friends and families of the victims didn't even know the other names or bodies that were together when attacked."

"So, the vampire rounds them up somewhere and murders them?", I ask weakly, almost faint. "Then dumps the bodies?"

Father again shakes his head. "On-sight killings."

"Where?"

"Alleys, the edge of town near the forests, some in abandoned buildings. Most common are parks, playgrounds."

"Children...", I whisper incoherently, images of screaming kids as they looked at mutilated bodies flashing in my mind, forever damaged by that sight, by that memory.

"So, strangers were together when the vampire murdered them... but why? Where do you meet strangers?", Father says quietly, to himself.

I almost laughed at that one. "Bars," I huff, resting my head in my hands.

Father is silent. When I turn to look at him, his eyes are wide, unblinking, and glued to me.

"Lucy, you may be onto something," he exclaims, jumping out of his seat. He dashes out of the room and across the drawing-room, disappearing behind door to the kitchen.

Startled, I jump up too, trailing after him. "Dad! What are you doing?" But his gone, the door swinging behind him. With a sigh, I barge in after him, yelling, "Dad, what-"

"Shh!"

Marcellus ushers a finger to his lips as Rem gives me a stern look. Behind them, near the fridge, Father was talking, well, more like barking into wall phone, yammering so fast I don't catch a word.

Dad is on the phone for a few more minutes, but even after that he makes another call. This time, he is more calm, and I only catch, "Yes, Lucius Sparrow... But I need to talk to Sir Ciora _immediately, _please... Tell him _that _can wait..."

Then the door bell rings.

All of us; me, Rem, Marcellus, even father was frozen in place for a moment at the sound.

"Did the doorbell... just... ring?", we all asked at the same time.

Father jolted out of his trance and went back to his phone call. His words again too fast for me to follow.

Rem moved forward, a furrow in her brow. "Who could that be?", she muttered underneath her breath as she brushed by me and exited the room.

Suddenly, Marcellus went back to making his eclairs that were for after dinner, unphased by door bell.

I was the last to snap out of it, blinking a few times to get the white dots that danced across my vision to go away. I settled to wait for dad to finish his call, leaning back on the fridge as he did.

_Could the homicidal vampire seriously be attacking club-goers? What for? Did the fast-pacing hearts of dancers or the alcohol that messed with their brains have to do with it? Why kill innocents in the first place? This is all too confusing._

Silently, Rem peeked her head through the crack of the kitchen door, a surprised look on her features. We all turned to her, again utterly silent.

"Um... Lucy, your friends are here."

I hear her, but my brain fails to react. I'm still theorizing about the murderous vampire as I leave the kitchen and make my way to the front door, opening it automatically.

I'm greeted with the beaming faces of my newly made friends; the angelic goth girls: Aerin White and Vanessa Smith, and the equally dangerous Lost Boys of our gang: Avery Lee, Silver and Ulysses Williams, and Benjamin Brennan. They're all gorgeously gothic, but vary in genres. Ulysses looks more like a biker, Vanessa could be mistaken for the Angel of Death, and Benjamin looks like a schoolboy who was dropped off at the nearest Hot Gothics.

They all wear different outfits than what they wore to school today, but their makeup is freshly done and hair teased to its full potential. Their thick black eyeliner glows in the light of the candelabra behind me.

Before I can utter my 'hello's, Silver jumps up the steps and wraps his skinny arms around waist.

"Lucy!," he squeals, and my heart shudders from the flood of warmth that enters my body.

I come to realize this is from a new experience I've never has the pleasure of knowing; of friendship. Without friends to hang out with in spooky cemeteries and tell ghost stories with, shop in vintage stores for things dipped in black and covered in studs, and watch Frankenstein and quote it word for word , I recoil from this new embrace. It is foreign, it is alien. But it's wonderful, and I smile as pat Silver's silky hair.

"Hey, little Munster," I greeted. I glance up at the rest of the gang and give a tiny wave. "What's up? You guys didn't get enough of me at school?"

They all laugh, and Aerin steps forward, the heels of her monstrous leather boots clinking against the cement as she does. Her smoky eyeshadow holds a tint of dark blue, matching the satin material that billows down from her corset, a section taken out from the skirt to show her mile-long legs.

"We were in the neighborhood, and we decided to drop in and say 'hi'," she said with a grin.

"That's cool of you," I say in an even tone, but internally touched by their care for me. But a sudden thought stops me. "How did you know where I lived?", I inquire, a brow raised.

Avery is the one to answer. "I hacked into the school's system and student database and looked up your address. Oh, and your driver's license is going to expire soon. You should get that renewed before October 7th," Avery said, all-knowing.

I tugged at a lock of my hair, thinking. "What's today?", I finally ask.

"The first of October."

"Well, crap."

The whole group laughs. Silver stills clings to me, settling to my side and stays there patiently, looking at me while I talk and laughs when I laugh. For a fleeting moment, I know what it feels like to be an older sibling, to care for someone as if they were your own flesh and blood. Sure, Silver wasn't related to me in that way, and even had a tiny crush on me (that was apparent), but we had the same style and interests. We had to look out for each other. Even though I've only known him for less than a day, I would gladly risk a limb or two to keep him out of the clutches of bullies and preps, maybe even a crazed, blood-thirsty vampire. But, worst of all, Carmen Conquest.

After a while, when we're done talking about the gothic-depraved neighborhood I've settled into, Ulysses brings up my family.

"Who exactly do you live with?"

I hesitate to answer, thinking of what really laid inside; my immortal father and equally cryptic housekeepers.

"My dad," I spit out, not think twice.

"So... who was that who answered the door?"

"My...", I trailed off, and veered my eyes off to the streetlamp that laid at the end of my driveway. I can't lie to them can I?

Before I can even start to form the sentence that hides them the truth, I hear the front door open and close. A tall, dark figure stands beside me, and I hear my father's voice say, "My sister, Lucy's aunt, Remedia. She's visiting for the week."

All of my friends awe at my father. I mean, why shouldn't they? He was incredibly handsome and not to mention had the same macabre fashion sense as us, with his bat-patterned vest and dark purple button-up shirt combo. His was practically a modern Count Dracula.

The group continues to gape over my father and I hear him give a small laugh.

"Pardon me for not introducing myself; I am Lucius Sparrow, Lucy's father."

"Y-y-ou... er... fah... dah?", Avery mumbles with a slack jaw.

Aerin and Vanessa move forward as poor Avery stumbles over his words, their pale hands outstretched to my father. Their long nails, both painted a deep black, glisten in the moonlight.

"Hello, Mr. Sparrow. We're Lucy's friends, she met us today at school," Vanessa quips as she shakes hands with my father.

"But she didn't tell us about her gorgeous father!", Aerin adds, now politely shaking his pallid hand.

Father gives him a genuine smile, a dimple surfacing. "That's most unfortunate; she has told me all about her new acquaintances."

_Wait. I did? _

"Really?", they both squeal in unison.

"Oh, yes. You're Aerin White, a Junior, correct? ", he said with a spidery finger motioning to Aerin. "And Vanessa Smith, Senior." He then pointed to all of my friends in a similar manner, a smile resting on his lips. "Ulysses Williams, Senior. Avery Lee, Junior. Benjamin Brennan, Junior. And Silver Williams, Freshman."

The whole gang awed, including me. When did I mention any of this to him?

All of my new friends dive into conversation with him, and he lazily wraps an arm around my shoulders.

Is he proud I've managed to make friends? Does he like them?

They ask him about the house, about me, and a lot about him. They complimented that I had his eyes, and told him they raised an awesome daughter. I had to bite my tongue to refrain from telling him he missed a large part of my childhood.

"Mr. Sparrow, is it okay if Lucy hangs out with us tonight?" Aerin suddenly asks. "We're just going to watch the 1941 version of the _Wolfman_ at the movie theater and grab a bite to eat. She would be back by midnight."

I'm caught off guard, and I'm still frozen as Father rubs his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... that's fine with me. That just happens to be my favorite Lon Chaney Jr. movie, so I don't mind." He gives me a wary look and suppresses a smile. "Just make sure she behaves herself."

"We certainly will," Benjamin coyly says, crossing his arms.

We all share a laugh.

"So, Lucy, are you ready to go?", Vanessa asks, straightening her tight leather skirt.

I quickly eye their well thought-out outfits and how amazing they look, and I feel intimidated as I glance down my rumpled clothes I wore to school.

"Let me change really quick," I say, ushering Father into the house. "I'll be right back."

As I shut the door, and make my way to the stairs, Father stops me.

"Lucy, come here."

I obey, and near him, my heels clinking against the dark wood floor. "Yes?"

He gently puts his spidery hands on my shoulders, his eyes finding mine. Green on green. "I just want you to be careful, Lucy. I want you to protect your friends, but also watch out for yourself. Have a good time, but be very cautious." There is an edge in his voice, and I understand his worry.

I nod. "I can handle myself Dad, I've been around humans for a very long time. I know how to-"

"No, Lucy, not just that. I mean the rogue vampire."

Oh. I had forgotten.

I gulp sheepishly and dip my chin once again. "I see."

Father's stern face softens and he kisses my forehead. "Go get ready. I still have to inform the Council about your little 'bar' theory."

I cock my head to the side, and I purse my lips. "Do you really think that could be? That the rogue is attacking club-goers?"

Father only shakes head, his shoulder-length brown hair trembling. "I honestly don't know, Lucy. I just... want you to be careful."

"I will be Dad. I promise," I almost whisper, knowing it to be true, but my voice wavers from fear. Of course I'm afraid, who wouldn't be?

His hands slid to his sides and I flash him a fang-exposing smile before dashing up the stairs and to my bedroom.

Once in my room, I fish through my dressers and closet for something simple yet stylish, and settle for a black a white sleeveless romper, a bunch of sugar skulls printed on it. I also put on black fishnets tights and black combat boots with chains hanging off of them, and before I leave, I brush through my teal curls and let it all hang down wildly and grab my leather purse with golden studs on it.

As I make my way downstairs, I don't see anybody, so I jog to the kitchen really quick to tell Rem and Marcellus that I was leaving. They both bid me a good night as I leave, and I head back to the front door.

Vanessa and Aerin whistle as I step out, and fight the blush that engulfs my face as they do. Sweet Silver tells me I look pretty and Avery agrees. I thank them quietly.

They lead me to Ulysses's ancient, beat-up, piece-of-crap van, windowless and even a bit dangerous-looking, but I don't hesitate when they climb in, following suit. I squeeze in-between Aerin and Benjamin, smiling at another new experience I was going through with my new friends. Closeness.

Ulysses twists from his place in the driver's seat, a smirk beaming from him.

"Comfy, Lucy?", he asks.

"Snug as a bug in a rug," I answer, returning his smile.

He only shrugs and turns back, starting up the rusted van. Pentagram charms and airfreshners clinking together as the the engine roared to life. He backs up out of my driveway and into the street, swinging around widely before continuing out of the neighborhood. The radio is cranked up, the thrashing music of Nightshade and My Chemical Romance blaring out of the speakers.

We roll our windows down, letting the music be carried off on the currents of the wind, hearing the lights of the city calling our name.

* * *

We park the van a block away from the 1950s'-styled theater, which Aerin swears up and down is haunted. I only say seeing is believing.

We cruise down the sidewalk, laughing and joking, Aerin's and Silver's arms looped through mine. Avery looks on, seething.

As we round the corner of the theater, I gasp.

Bright neon signs entice eyes to the three-story building that was painted a light blue, a marquee listing the movies that were playing tonight hovering over the ticket booth. Vintage movie posters presented in glass cases advertised classic movies like _Rebel Without A Cause _and _Some Like It Hot. _The scent of popcorn and melted butter wafted from the heavy wooden doors at the entrance, squeals from impatient children and fangirls accompanying it.

But that wasn't what made me gasp. It was the line. It has to be a_tleast_ two miles long, a line so long that some people had brought folding chairs for the wait.

The whole grouped groaned out loud.

"You've got to be kidding me," Avery mumbled, kicking at some stray trash on the ground.

"We just had to come on the night _Fate's Kiss _is premiering, didn't we?", Benjamin said, disgust lacing his tone.

"Huh?"

"_Fate's Kiss. _Y'know, the preteen romance novel that's getting ten out of ten from every book club and breathing being? The one about death falling in love with a chick or something?", Benjamin explains, then points to a group of pimply, drooling eleven-years-olds that clutched their tattered copies of the book in their arms. "And that's how most of their fanbase looks like. They put the movie out, and, _boom,_ every nerdy girl that practically lives and breaths the freakin' book comes out from under their rock and watches it. It's sad really." _  
_

I thought over what Benjamin said as I saw two preteens that wore I Heart Fate's (kissey lips) frantically recite quotes in their book like it was the Bible. I could only smile.

"It's not sad," I said, glancing at Benjamin. "If they really love something, and they stick to it and are happy, I think it's great. They're just being themselves. They're not letting anybody tell them what they love."

Everyone is silent afterwards, but I don't feel ashamed for what I think. Being a outcast all of your life teaches you something about loving the things you do. Even of society rejects you for it, you shouldn't care and love it even more. I wasn't about to let the preppy kids tell me to like while I wore my black sundresses, combat boots and Hello Batty t-shirts and they sported their polos, chinos, and cleats. I knew someday I would find people who would love me fore me. And I have.

Benjamin straightens up. "You're right. They should love it if they want to. Who am I to call it stupid?"

I don't say anything, but I give a quick nod.

"So... what are we going to do about this?" Vanessa asks, indicating to the infinite line.

"Do you guys really want to wait?", Aerin asks, crossing her arms.

"Oh, heck no."

"Nope."

"I'd die before we made it halfway through!"

They all turn to me then.

"Lucy, what do you want to do?"

I put up my hands defensively, my eyes wide. "I'm cool with whatever."

"Oh, c'mon! Have an opinion!"

"Wait! Hey, guys, isn't the Coffin Club have an 'all ages night' tonight?", Vanessa questions, texting on her Blackberry, the blue screen illuminating her dark green eyes and pink monroe piercing.

"Huh? I didn't- oh, wait... Yeah!"

"Really?"

"We should go!"

"Right now?"

"Yeah, right now! I'm dying to try their new drink!"

"The Mad Hatter? Yeah, I've heard they're awesome."

"From who?"

"Y'know, that one chick from Hot Gothics, the one with the piercing on her-"

"Hey," I pipe up. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Are you serious?" Avery asks, his eyes wide.

"You've never been?", Silver inquires, eyebrows ushering up.

"Been where?", I snap, losing my edge a bit.

Aerin puts her hands on her hips, cocking an eyebrow up. The dark blue satin of her dress ruffles when she does. "The one place for goths to be themselves? The one hangout for our kind?"

I frown a bit and shrug. "I have no idea what you're talking about," I state.

Aerin simply rolls her eyes and smiles. "I'm talking about only the hippest, coolest place in the world."

I wait impatiently, tapping an anxious combat boot-ed foot.

"The Coffin Club," she says with a wicked grin.

* * *

**Yeahhhhh! Friend time for Lu-lu! Yes, that's what I call Lucy now. Lu-lu. I like it :) **

**Anyway, thank you sooooo much for the reviews! They keep me inspired, and it's nice not to get any flaming for what I love to write. **

**Okay, so you know what's coming in the next chapter: the Coffin Club. But what else? Maybe... the Dungeon? *gasp* Maybe, I don't know! **

**By the way, who do you like better?: Jagger Maxwell or Claude Sterling? **

**Listening to: The Depths by Of Mice & Men **


	6. Chapter 6

Shadow Of A Half Blood

Chapter Six

* * *

"The... Coffin Club?", I say hesitantly, letting it slid off my tongue cautiously, like it was poisonous snake. It felt heavy in my mouth, a weight. It was weird.

"Yeah. It's only a couple blocks away. We could walk," Silver suggested.

I shy away from them, butterflies having a rave in my stomach. "I... don't know, you guys."

"C'mon, Lu-Lu. Are you scared?", Ulysses coos mockingly.

"What did you just call me?" I growl.

Avery jumps in front of me, blocking my view from Ulysses. "That's not the point, Lucy. Are you seriously nervous?", he questions, his intent sincere.

I press my lips into a thin line as I think about what I really felt. "Well... it's just that my dad probably wouldn't want me to go to a club." Then, I thought of the vampire that was targeting club-goers. My heart dropped to my feet, and my face blanched.

"It's all ages, though. It's not like we're going to get drunk or anything. We're just... Whoa, Lucy. Are you okay? You're... really white. Like, ghost-white," Avery said, his head cocked to the side, his expression conveying concern.

"I'm fine," I say hoarsely, my lips moving on auto-pilot.

"Are you sure? You don't look fine."

Suddenly, I thought, _Out of all the clubs, what gives the rogue reason to go to this particular club this particular night? I can't just blow-off my friends because I'm afraid of the off-chance that he or she _is _there. _

I perk up then, a smile on my face. "Maybe he doesn't need to know," I say. "We should go. I'd like to see it."

Electricity courses through the air the words left my mouth. Aerin starts checking her makeup, Vanessa drops her phone in her handbag, and Ulysses fixes the studded collar of his leather jacket. Excited, Silver skips across the street, his Converse slapping against the asphalt.

"C'mon, Lucy," he calls, glancing behind him.

I shoulder my bag and break into a run, adrenaline coursing through my half-human, half-vampire blood, kicking up dust with my combat boots.

_I'm going on an adventure, _I told myself, my legs a blur._ And I'm going to have one hell of a good time._

* * *

When Silver finally stopped, I immediately stooped over and tried to catch my breath, my hands on my shaky knees. My teal hair shone from the light of neon signs, the hazy shape of a red coffin veiled by my dyed locks. I looked up to see Silver beaming at the building, drinking in the black painted bricks and banner that proudly read **'A****ll Ages Night Tonight!** **All Drinks Half Off!' **in blood-red script. But what really caught my eye was the line. And this time, it wasn't from the extreme length of it.

Goths and ghouls of all ages lined the black wall of the club, floor-length dresses, vinyl capes, purple hair, amulets the size of my fist, white eye contacts, and dark green lipstick swallowed up the appearance of mortals that awaited entrance to the Gothic Underworld. I could only stand and stare, my jaw slack and green eyes as wide as saucers.

"Oh. My. Goth."

Silver turned and grinned at me, clearly pleased with my reaction. "Cool, huh?", he quipped.

"Way cool," I murmured.

He beckoned me to the back of the line by him, and suddenly, I didn't mind the wait. I got to look at what everyone was wearing and what brands the girls were sporting. By the time Aerin and Vanessa arrived, we were already gossiping about this one girl's corset, or another's mesh tights. I felt glad I had changed out of my school outfit and into something edgier, something a little different. I fingered my wild curls, wiping away the perspiration that beaded at my hairline. I wished I could see my reflection, to see if my makeup was ruined, but I didn't have to wonder that much.

Because there was a chorus of cat-calls and whistles as guys eyed me.

Why me? Beautiful Aerin in her hot corset dress and sexy leather boots was right at my side, drop-dead gorgeous Vanessa only three feet away from me in her form-fitting red dress, a thousand belts dripping from her waist, five-inch heels gracing her feet. Avery and Silver glared at the guys that glanced my way, muttering something about pigs. Benjamin and Ulysses stood side by side close to me, almost like body guards. I couldn't stop blushing.

It was only fifteen minutes to get to the front of the line, where a beefy dude threw me a wink and stamped a purple bat figure on my hand, wrapping a barbed-wire-shaped rubber bracelet around my left wrist. In front of me, Aerin was telling me to wait for the rest of the group at the bar as she disappeared behind the entrance.

"Have fun," he told me as I sauntered ahead. "And try not get eaten up in there."

I paused by the door, my heart ceasing to pulse. Was he forewarning me of something insidious in my future? Or was it meant to be something playful, hencing the vampire theme of the club? I took a deep breath. I'm sure if he was a physic, he would have a fortune-telling shop somewhere on main street and not a job as a bouncer at a goth club. Before another thought crossed my mind, an impatient club-goer ushered/pushed me through the coffin-shaped doorway, throwing me into the Underworld.

And it was beautiful.

What first caught my eye was a flash of pale white that shone through the dry-ice fog that obscured all I saw, and the flash of white turned out to be a mannequin. Dressed in a gold and brown steampunk suit, it was strewn high above the dance floor, bat wings protruding from the ghostly figure. Neon tombstones lit up the black, spray-painted walls, strobe lights hanging in each corner of the club. My eyes wandered across the Goth Heaven, until my sights landed on the bar. I spotted a flicker of toxic green and black hair, and wheeled toward the crowd that swarmed the bar. As I passed other clubsters, I felt eyes glued to me as if I was Queen of the Mosh Pit or Elvira, Mistress of the Dark herself. I clutched my bag tightly, my stomach twisting from the lustful and seductive looks I received. I kept my target locked on Ulysses's poison green head, shoving and elbowing as politely as I could.

I finally reached Ulysses, grabbing his leather-clad elbow for support. His hazel eyes outlined in black shot to me, a smirk on his pierced lips. "You okay, Lu-Lu?"

I frown and withdraw my hand, resting it on my hip as I scolded him. "Where did you get that ridiculous nickname, anyway?"

He widened his grin. "That's not important. You want a drink?", he asked, gesturing to the bar.

I shrug, still pretty irked about my silly pet-name. Ulysses guides me to the front of the dark purple bar, its shiny counters shimmering from the strobe lights at the dance floor. We hop up on the tall, black-and-white stools, and while I glance at the menu, Ulysses waves down a bartender with a twenty. A toned, bald dude squeezed into an extra-small t-shirt that read _Temptation _serves us, his focus mainly on the bill that Ulysses slides into his palm.

"What's your poison?", he quipped shamelessly, a line which I guarantee he's said a hundred times tonight .

"I'll have the Rabid Rave and make virgin," Ulysses answered evenly, his silver skull earrings catching the red light of a tombstone on the wall.

Finally, the bartender turns to me, and as our eyes meet, he does a double-take. His brow furrows and his head dips as if he was acknowledging my status. My eyebrow arches up as he does, surprised by his reaction.

"Wh-What will you be having, miss?", he asks, wringing his beefy hands.

I tap my chin, thoughtfully before I say, "A virgin Twisted Sister, please."

His eyes widen and he leans in as he whispers, "Are you sure? I can get you something... more to your liking."

I stare at him, wondering what was his damage. Was he meaning alcohol? Or... something else?

I shake my head, my curls brushing my bare shoulders. "No, thank you."

The bartender nods again, and rushes off to fill our order. Ulysses turns to me, a confused look twisting his face.

"What was that about?," he breathed, keeping his voice low.

Pressing my lips into a thin line, I shake my head again, not really knowing what to say. "I have no idea."

Just then, Aerin darts up to us, Vanessa and Benjamin in tow. They climb up the stools off to my right, bombarding me with questions, asking me how I liked the club so far. I vaguely pointed about how freakin' amazing it was, with the decent music choice (which was killer), and the decor (it made me want to pee my pants). Shortly after, the bartender appeared, setting down the goblets filled brightly colored drinks. He didn't immediately whisk off to serve more customers, in fact, he waited until I took my first drink of the Twister Sister.

It tasted like green apples and... what else? Cherry? Banana? Pomegranate? Yeah, that's it. Pomegranate. ...Weird.

"Good?", he asked cautiously, again, wringing his hands.

"Delicious," I insist, taking another sip. The bartender gives a toothy grin and, now satisfied, takes Aerin's and the other's orders.

I don't catch what they order, but before he goes to the other end to mix up the drinks, his casts me a smile. His eyes gravitate behind me, and his face becomes almost shocked, but he nods. He moves on, and, out of curiosity, I turn around to the dance floor, only to find a moshing crowd thrashing to Bullet For My Valentine.

...Odd.

I did't have much time to ponder on it before Aerin taps me on the shoulder and we dive right back into our conversation about the Coffin Club. I watch as Aerin pulls out a dark blue button mirror she checks her reflection in, puckering her black lips like Marilyn Monroe. She catches my gaze and snaps the compact shut.

"Here," she says, handing it to me. I look down at the mermaid that was on it, anchors and sparrows on either side of her. It was beautiful. "I want you to have it."

"I can't take this," I argue, biting my tongue before I admit that I couldn't even see my reflection.

"No. I want you to keep it."

I smile and gently place the cute button mirror into my leather purse, thanking Aerin as I do.

"I'll treasure it forever," I gush. Aerin only grins.

We finish our drinks and, as a group, rush to the center of the dance floor where we find Avery and Silver, dancing to some killer techno. We join them, spinning and jumping like crazy until we get dizzy. Every song they play makes me want to dance more, makes me lose track of time. Sweat beads at my hairline, my bag hitting my hip every time I land back to the concrete floor. Aerin sways slowly, hypnotically, even as a fast-paced tune blares from the ten-foot-high speakers. Vanessa clasps hands with strangers, flailing with them, her black hair as fluid as water. Ulysses screams the lyrics and chants the choruses, and he sounds so amazing, I remind myself to ask him if he was in a band later. Avery and Silver stay close to me, and I find they're especially great moshers. Benjamin nudges me every now and then a comments that he's made a remix for the song that was playing.

I love the great people I've met today, and I find it hard to believe that I've only known them for a day. I feel as though we've grown up together, having raves in tree-houses and trick-or-treating as the Munsters, that we haven't spent our school days defending each other and hanging out. It almost saddens me.

_It really would have been great, to grow up with these guys._

Finally, I feel the crash start to kick in. I lay a hand on my forehead, my eyes squinting from the flashing neon lights. I tug at Aerin's satin sleeve, and she turns to me, her hair slapping me in the face.

"Hey, whatcha up to?", she yells over the music, still swinging her hips to the music.

"I'm going to get a drink," I answer, practically screaming in her face.

"Oh, okay. Do you want me to go with you?", she offers, her eyes puppy-dog wide. I see she's having too much fun, dancing and swaying.

I shake my head, my teal curls tumbling over my shoulders to my waist. "It's okay. I'll be right back."

Aerin nods and turns back around, her hands and arms in the air, lithe and agile as white snakes. I fight the thrashing crowd as I make my way to the bar, and I'm thrown back with ten times as much force. With an agitated sigh, I glance around for a black wall I can follow to the other side of the club and avoid the wild clubsters. I spot a cluster of lit-up headstones on the black wall, and I shimmy past lip-locked couples and grinding mortals. I place my right hand on the wall, feeling the concrete brick underneath my fingertips.

Near the wall, I'm undetectable under the sights of drunken boys and lusty vampire-wannabes, and soon I'm met with the corner where one wall connects to the other, which I follow faithfully as the other. The crowd becomes so thick, I'm pressed up against the wall, flat as a pancake. I let the tumult of clubbing teens pass, allowing me to finally breath.

I sidled down the wall a little further until I felt the texture on smooth wood meet my touch. My fingers groped for the doorknob, and when I found in, I twisted it.

What was I doing? What if this was the little boy's room? I glanced up, but I didn't find a sign proclaiming this door led to either the monster's or the ghoul's room.

Suddenly, a guitar riff caught my ear, completely different from the dubstep that was bursting from the speakers behind me. Confused, I closed my eyes and strained my ears to hear past the coffin-shaped door. I was right, a different song was playing on the other side of the door... wherever the other side of the door was.

Curiosity got the best of me, like it usually did. I turned the knob of the wooden door, swinging it open and leaning in. I was met with a narrow, dimly lit hallway with its walls slathered with graffiti of angels and devils, of cupcakes and monster trucks. Peering further to the end of the hallway, it looked like a dark hole sprouted out of the floor, ready to gobble up unlucky, curious half-vamps... like me.

I slid into the open doorway and closed the door behind me, a sharp snap indicating that it was, indeed, locked back. I whirled around to look at the way back, testing the brass doorknob. It didn't open. My way back into the Coffin Club had been destroyed.

"Shit," I hissed underneath my breath.

Why had it been unlocked when I came in? Was it... unlocked for me? No... that's too weird. Don't think about how you got in, think of a way out, Lucy!

My ear once again caught the sound of wailing guitar, behind me. Coming from... the hole.

I edged my way to the opening in the floor, to find that stair steps had been forged from the dirt leading into the treacherous opening, looking like a path to hell. With a deep breath, I lowered my foot onto the first step, testing the strength of the densely packed earth. It was safe enough, and I continued down, further into the plummeting darkness.

At the bottom of the stair well, another black door stood in front of me, and I could only hope this one wasn't locked. I reached out, my hand closing over the golden skull that was the doorknob. I twisted it slowly.

It was locked.

"No..."

I tested it again, but, surely enough, it was locked. I kicked the godforsaken door, pain flooding up my combat booted foot.

There was no way out.

With a sigh, I slumped against the door and ironed out the crease of my brow, trying to remain calm. The music was still thumping wildly somewhere, and I started to question my sanity.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps echo down the hallway that was up the earthy stairwell, chunky heels clicking against the concrete floor. I gazed up, meeting the silhouette of a tall, lean figure that stood at the lip of the hole, its unseen eyes landing on me. A pop came from them, causing me to jump.

"Hey, you okay?", the darkened figure called down, a smacking noise accompanying the question.

I got up, straightening my skull-printed romper, brushing dirt from my combat boots. "Uh... yeah. Just... forgot my key," I quickly lied, not wanting to look suspicious.

"Eh, I know what you mean. Forgot mine yesterday. Dragon wouldn't let me hear the end of it," the figure laughed, continuing down.

Finally, on the last step, they glided up to the door and unlocked it. They faced me, and in the dim light that shone from the hallway above, I met the pallid face of a girl about my age, dark green eyes shining mischievously. Her hair was dyed a burgundy tone, with black highlights throughout her cropped locks. She was really pretty, black lashes long and black, full, painted blue lips grinning at me. Peacock feathers were stuck behind her ears,little black horns peeking from her short hair. She blew a little pink bubble of gum at me and winked.

"I'm Kat, by the way."

"Lucy," I said, tilting my head to the side.

"Lucy. I like it. You should meet my friends. Well, if you don't have to meet anybody else, that is," Kat offered as she motioned me to pass into the mysterious doorway, which I did.

I was greeted by a huge dude who leered at the sight of me, almost disgusted. His head was shaved bald, in the hair's place was a tattoo of the head of a dragon, stretching its gargantuan wings over his shoulders, its scaly body peeking from the rips of his shirt. From his tattoo, I was guessing that this was Dragon.

"Key," he said, his voice as deep as rolling thunder. It rattled through my bones.

I scratched the back of my head as I thought of a good excuse. "Oh... my key? That's a funny story, actually. I-"

"She's with me," Kat informed as she stepped in front of me.

"Is that so?", Dragon sneered as he scrutinized me and Kat. His eyes lingered on me.

"Yep," I answered confidently, chin perched up. Kat folded her arms in response.

"I swear, Kat, you'll be the death of me. All right, you're in. Next time, though, I won't let you off easy. Let that be your warning," Dragon scolded before he waved off behind him, to the thick black velvet curtain that was there.

Kat and I exchanged excited smiles before she disappeared behind the black shroud. Dragon shot me a glare and a snarl. I thought I saw the glimmer of a pearly fang in the rows of white teeth.

Maybe I was dreaming.

* * *

Kat clasped my hand tightly, guiding me through the damp and cramped catacombs. It was an eerie sight, shallow graves on either side of us, occupants of them dead and undead alike. Couples smooched and friends gossiped in the places where bodies belonged, their attire dark and appealing. Corsets, band t-shirts, tutus, gloves, lab coats, sweaters, tunics and top-hats all drenched in the colors of the gothic rainbow were displayed on the beautiful bodies of the seductive and beautiful clubbers, and I instantly felt jealousy and insecurity flood my being.

We passed a group of girls dressed up as characters from _Bleach, _and I couldn't help but awe at the accuracy of their cosplay.

Kat led us all the way to a gigantic stone archway with gargoyles and archangels dripping from it, a huge ballroom-styled chamber branching off from the arch. A really dark, macabre, Underworld-themed ballroom. A concave dance floor was filled with clubsters of every age, size, and style, thrashing away to Rob Zombie. I gasped at the beauty of the clubbing crowd, at the sync and organized flow of their dancing. It was hard to tell where one person began and where another ended.

A live band played at the far end of the room, on a tall stage accompanied by even taller speakers. My ears almost bled from how loud the music was. The walls were dark, lights from the stage bouncing off of them and onto the sea of goths. Above the stage was the enormous script of blood-red paint that read **The Dungeon**. Shackles hung from the ceiling, and I almost expected severed limbs to be locked in their cold iron embrace. Thankfully, there were none.

"C'mon," Kat yelled over the music before pulling me off to the left, toward the bar. We didn't have to fight our way to it, the crowd was so appealing and polite, they pardoned themselves from our presence and formed a pathway for us. Kat was still clasping to my hand as we rolled up to the bar, eyes of all shades on our tiny forms.

I quickly examined Kat's peacock feather tutu, ripped tights, dark blue lace-up boots with a five-inch heel, black button-up with a Peter Pan collar, and broad green zipper belt. She had a great sense of style.

We edged off to the farthest side of the bar, and we met the back of some dudes perched up on the stools at the counter.

"Yo, dudes. I'm here," Kat announced to them.

They all turned around, and I was met with the sly smirks of three guys brandishing fangs, cups of a dark red liquid resting in their hands.

"Well, well, well... what do we have here?"


End file.
